'We Replaced A Badly Designed Extension'

Alastair Bigley and Danielle Atherton cleared the way for a new one-level, openplan space at the back

- Rebecca Foster

The extension had been built in the Eighties and added to in 2004. ‘It was on two levels and the step was so big it was almost like the upper half was a mezzanine floor,’ says Alastair.

ON THE WISH LIST The couple started planning an uncluttered, family-friendly kitchen-diner. ‘We wanted everything on one level, with bright open areas.’ This would mean some major work to the garden, which sloped steeply down to the house, causing water to pool outside the rear wall. ‘We wanted a flat space we could actually use.’